BILL REQ. #:  S-2462.1 

Read first time 04/10/13.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     AN ACT Relating to ensuring no net loss of public access to state recreational lands; adding a new section to chapter 43.30 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 77.12 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that the concept of no net loss has been applied in environmental regulatory processes in Washington state, such as the state's shoreline management and hydraulic project regulatory processes. For example, the state's shoreline management system establishes a standard of no net loss of shoreline ecological functions from the implementation of local shoreline master programs, including impacts to shoreline ecological functions resulting from new development. This no net loss standard is also used by the state's hydraulic project approval program, which applies a no net loss standard of protection for fish habitat.
     (2) The legislature further finds that the citizens of Washington state will benefit from the application of the no net loss standard to recreational opportunities on state lands. Maintaining access to the state's public lands is vital to preserving the many recreational and health benefits those lands provide to the citizens of the state. State lands provide an innumerable number of valuable recreational opportunities including, but not limited to, hunting, fishing, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, off-road vehicle use, and wildlife viewing. In turn, these recreational opportunities generate economic opportunities for the communities surrounding those lands.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 43.30 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The department must ensure no net loss of public recreational opportunities on department-managed lands. Prior to or upon closing an area or access to an area that supports recreational opportunities, the department must open, reopen, or provide additional access to an area that supports a reasonably equivalent level of recreational opportunities.
     (2) Nothing in this section affects the trust management obligations of the department.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 77.12 RCW to read as follows:
     The department must ensure no net loss of public recreational opportunities on department-managed lands. Prior to or upon closing an area or access to an area that supports recreational opportunities, the department must open, reopen, or provide additional access to an area that supports a reasonably equivalent level of recreational opportunities.